


Chocolat Mocha

by Ozpin_Lover_MP



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Fluff, LGBTQ+ Themes, M/M, Oobleck is ace don't @ me, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21605116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ozpin_Lover_MP/pseuds/Ozpin_Lover_MP
Summary: Bartholomew has a crush on Ozpin. This is a problem. Also, two bonus fluffy chapters because I couldn't help myself.
Relationships: Bartholomew Oobleck /Ozpin
Comments: 14
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Vica for Beta reading this for me!

Bartholomew shifted uncomfortably in his suit. It was the after-dinner party for the teachers on new year's day. 

Port was talking about yet another incredible mission that he had been on. Something about killing a herd of Ursa? It was probably true. Bartholomew had also probably heard the story at least ten times before. 

Bartholomew couldn’t help but gaze at Ozpin from across the room. Ozpin was much more enchanting to look at. The way the corners of his eyes creased as he smiled, the soft laugh on his lips that was so rare… 

“You know, if you want to dance with her, you should just ask,” Port said suddenly, “Instead of pretending to listen to me,” 

“Eh?” Bartholomew asked, confused. He looked around for whoever Port was referring too. “Glynda?” 

“Mhm,” Port replied, “I can tell you want to. So gather up your courage, and go ask her!” 

“No- that’s not-“ Bartholomew started. How on earth could he explain that if he asked anyone to dance, it would be Ozpin. Not that he was planning too; Bartholomew knew that he would die of embarrassment before being able to ask Ozpin to dance. 

“It’s alright,” Port said, patting Bartholomew on the arm, “I’ve known that you have a crush for ages. One simply has to look at your distant face and goofy smile at breakfast to tell.” 

“I do not have a crush!” Bartholomew spluttered, “I’m not twelve!” 

“Of course, of course,” Port grabbed Bartholomew’s arm and started to pull him across the ballroom. “Come on, I’ll help you,” 

“No- I don’t want to dance with Glynda! She’ll kill me!” Bartholomew hissed, trying not to attract any more attention. A few teachers were already looking at them curiously. 

“No she won’t,” Port said, momentarily turning back to Bartholomew, “Look, I’ll ask for you. You’ll thank me later-“ 

“No-“ Bartholomew protested, but Port was already pulling him towards Ozpin and Glynda. 

Suddenly, behind Port’s back, Bartholomew saw Ironwood and Glynda move towards the middle of the floor, presumably to dance. Ah, he was saved! He couldn’t dance with Glynda if she was already dancing! 

His hopes were dashed a moment later when Port turned around saying: “Barty here just wanted to ask you a dance,” 

Ozpin looked surprised. 

Port even more so. 

Bartholomew could stop this, he realised. He could just explain to Ozpin that it was a simple mistake. Port was trying to force him to ask Glynda for a dance. 

But- Ozpin was already moving towards him, had bowed, and offered him a hand. 

Bartholomew knew that he could never say no that face. Those kind eyes, waiting patiently for Bartholomew to place his hand in his. 

Taking a deep breath, Bartholomew followed Ozpin into the middle of the ballroom. 

A few people were staring, but Bartholomew tried to ignore them. He was already blushing as it was. He was so close to Ozpin… he could see the individual lashes around his almond eyes. His slight smile… that would be so easy to kiss right now. 

No! He was not thinking about that. Nope. He was going to enjoy this dance and not embarrass himself. 

“Thank you for asking me to dance,” Ozpin whispered, barely audibly. 

Bartholomew opened his mouth to speak… and no words came out. Goodness, he was a mess. Instead, he just smiled softly. 

They had only been dancing for about a minute when the music changed. Some teachers started doing the Macarena. 

Giggling, Bartholomew lead Ozpin to the edge of the room. They weren't going to dance to this. 

"The others certainly seem to be enjoying themselves, " Ozpin murmured. 

Bartholomew nodded, still trying to gather up the courage to say something witty. Maybe a dumb pickup line? Would Ozpin even appreciate that?

That was when Ozpin's phone buzzed. He looked at it and sighed. 

"Something up?" Bartholomew asked. 

"There's been a break-in at the CCT- I have to go,"

Oh. Any hopes Bartholomew had of spending the rest of the evening with Oz, maybe going on a walk and perhaps a game of chess (where he could confess his love at the end) were dashed. Why did the burglar have to choose tonight of all nights!? 

"I'll be in my office, " Ozpin continued, "James is going to blow a fuse, " 

"Do you want me to come with you?" Bartholomew offered. Solving a burglary wasn't exactly an ideal activity for a relaxing evening, but at least maybe they could do it together? 

Ozpin shook his head. "You stay and enjoy the party- I'll see you tomorrow, " 

The night went down from there. Bartholomew had to sit through several more of Port's stories that he was much too familiar with at that point. 

"Come on, " Port said eventually, "I can tell you're bored. Let's go get another drink- on me, "

Bartholomew nodded idly as Port lead him to the bar. 

"Hey dad!" one of the barmen said to Port. 

"Kai? What are you doing here?" Port asked his son.

Kai shrugged. "Saturday job. My research isn't paying for itself-" 

"Isn't your mother paying…?" Port trailed off. 

Kai snickered. "So Barley maaay have told her that you're the better parent, " 

Port facepalmed. "I suppose that went down well, " 

"She cut us all off- apart from darling Anise of course, " 

Bartholomew didn't quite know what the deal was with Port's ex-wife, but he did know she was trouble. 

"So, " Kai asked, leaning on the countertop, "you picked up anymore chics? " 

Port spluttered. "You can't ask your father that!" 

Kai shrugged. "I totally can!" He turned to Bartholomew, "you're his friend right? Has dad finally found another lady?" 

"I wouldn't know, " Bartholomew managed, trying to hide his laughter. "We don't really have the time to date-" 

"Not that that stops you eh?" Port put in. 

"Huh?" Bartholomew asked. 

"You should have seen your face when Ozpin asked you to dance" Port continued, "Be careful, that coupled with your style is gonna convince everyone that you're gay, " 

Bartholomew tensed up. "And what if I am?" he managed. 

Port paused. Then laughed. "Good one Barty- you almost had me there." 

Bartholomew didn't laugh.

Port stopped laughing. "You're not- are you?" 

"You've never asked, " Bartholomew replied cooly, taking a sip of his drink. "And to answer your question yes. I am. I'm also ace if you must know, " 

Port clapped him on the shoulder. "Good on you. Although why do you have a crush on Glynda-" 

"I don't have a crush on Glynda I have a crush on Ozpin!" Bartholomew hissed. 

Port paused again. "Oh! That actually makes a lot more sense! And it's honestly quite adorable!" 

"What-" Bartholomew asked. 

"Ah yes! The headmaster and the history professor! How romantic! From now on I'll be your wingman-" 

"I'm gonna kill you, " Bartholomew said flatly. 

… 

Bartholomew didn't get to see Ozpin the next day. Or the next. Ozpin was stuck in meetings with James and Glynda, and Bartholomew had barely any free time between marking tests and planning lessons. 

To make things even more fun, the council of education decide to bring in a whole new set of rules regarding the syllabus. On top of all his usual work, Bartholomew now had to fill a bunch of pointless forms explaining that yes, he knew what he was doing, and yes they were covering all of the correct topics in depth. 

Apparently he hadn't filled out the forms well enough though, because barely a day after sending them off, a "supervisor" came to his office demanding to sit in on a lesson. 

At the end of the lesson, the "supervisor" confronted him. 

"What's all this nonsense about the faunus turning the tide of the war?" the supervisor demanded. 

"I'm sorry?" Bartholomew replied coolly. 

"The syllabus doesn't include anything on the faunus rights movement- you are wasting time teaching about it, "

"The syllabus says that the students must have a good understanding of the great war. Without discussing the faunus rights movement, many of the finer aspects of the war would be lost, " Bartholomew replied, folding his arms. 

The supervisor snorted. "Uh-uh. Right. This'll be going on your report you know. Can't have you filling your student's heads with tosh, " 

"Tosh-" Bartholomew clenched his fists and took a deep breath. It would probably better to not tell at this guy. Or punch him. 

"You do realise that your students are relying on you-" the man said, "your failure to teach them properly could cost one of them their lives in the field, " 

"Of course I know that!" Bartholomew all but yelled, "which is why I teach them the whole truth, " 

The man snorted. "If it were up to me I'd have you fired. I'm going to recommend such to professor Ozpin, " 

Bartholomew rolled his eyes as he turned away. At least he could count on Oz to take his side. Probably. Ozpin wouldn't fire him. Not without speaking to him first. Bartholomew knew that. 

… 

As Bartholomew dropped the textbooks on his desk, there was a creak! 

The desk wobbled and fell over. 

"Usra poop, " Bartholomew swore, "it's just one thing after another today isn't it?" 

Port suddenly appeared at the door. "What's wrong- oh, " he started at the mess of wood and splinters. 

"'oh' indeed, " Bartholomew grumbled, beginning to pick somethings up, "Now I've got to sort this out as well as marking the   
papers that I was planning on doing yesterday,"

Port shuffled his feet. "I suppose you won't be at the teacher's social evening tonight then?" 

Bartholomew shook his head. "I'm sorry Peter, I can't. I've way too much work, " 

"Oh, " was all Port said. 

"Oh?" 

"I may have managed to re-arrange the seats so that you could sit next to Ozpin during the meal…" Port trailed off. 

Bartholomew sighed. "Okay. Fine. I'll try and be there, " Well this was going to be a late night. 

Port got down next to Bartholomew. "Come on, I'll help you sort this mess out, " 

… 

Despite Port helping, it took all evening to sort out Bartholomew's office. By the time they finished, it was time to go to dinner. Bartholomew hadn't even started marking the papers that he needed to yet. 

Bartholomew and Port rushed to the canteen where the teachers' buffet was going to be… only to find Ozpin wasn't there. 

Glynda wasn't either for that matter. There was some emergency involving two students who had fallen out. 

At first, Bartholomew thought that at least he could eat quickly and leave early… only that didn't happen. It took former for the caterers to serve the food. Bartholomew thought that maybe he should skip dessert, only then the physics professor decided to grab him and talk his ear off about how the students laid out their work in their books. Which honestly didn't matter. So long as their work was neat, who cared if they underlined the title in red or black? Didn't this teacher have anything more interesting to talk about? 

By the time Bartholomew was finally able to escape, it was gone nine o'clock. And he still hadn't done any work. Brilliant. This was going to be a late night. 

… 

The next day, Bartholomew woke up in a foul mood. Maybe it was because he’d stayed up too late, or maybe it was simply just one of those days, but in any case, Bartholomew felt like doing absolutely nothing. 

As he sat on his sofa, going over his timetable for the day, his mind couldn’t help but wander back to Ozpin. Ugh. Port was right of course. He did have a crush. 

Ozpin was just so… so… so perfect. And kind. And handsome. Not mention intelligent, sweet, funny and occasionally sarcastic. And he had the softest hair, and gave the best hugs… 

Bartholomew groaned and lay back on the sofa, hiding his face in his hands. He had it bad. 

The problem was, there was no way that Ozpin returned his feelings. Bartholomew couldn’t even begin to compare himself to Ozpin. He liked to think that his self-confidence wasn’t that bad, but he was aware that he wasn’t much to look at. The scar on his face didn’t help matters. 

In fact, ignoring his stupid self-esteem issues, there was the fact that Bartholomew hadn't seen Ozpin all week. Ever since the dance. Ozpin hadn't been able to make it to their daily breakfast, and they hadn't had time to catch up between classes. Was Ozpin avoiding him? Was it because of the dance? Had Ozpin figured out that Bartholomew had a crush on him and was trying to let him down gently? 

Bartholomew groaned and lay back on the sofa. 

In any case, Ozpin probably wasn’t looking for a partner at the moment. If Ozpin did ever have another partner, he would outlive them, a heartbreak he probably wanted to spare himself. 

With a sigh, Bartholomew picked up his timetable and went back to work. There was no use thinking about unreturned feelings. 

Barely a few minutes later, Port came and knocked on his door. 

"Peter- it's barely half-past six why are you-" Bartholomew started wearily, opening the door. 

"There's been an emergency with team BLNC, I need to go and retrieve them from the field. Could you cover my classes for me today? Here are the notes-" Port shoved the notes into Bartholomew's hands. 

Bartholomew barely had time to protest before Port was out of the door again. 

"Thank you so much I knew I could rely on you- see you this evening!" Port exclaimed as he jogged down the hall. 

It was too early for this. Bartholomew needed coffee. He reached for his thermos… only to find it wasn't there. 

He sighed profusely, rubbing his head. He didn't have the energy to worry about it right now. It would turn up. He should go to the kitchen and get a bite to eat- and some coffee. He was supposed to have breakfast with Ozpin, if he showed up, but he was happy to wait around in the kitchen for a bit. Especially if there was coffee. He should take Port's class notes with him.

… 

There was no coffee in the kitchen. Someone had drunk the last of it and not replaced it. There wasn't even any of the cheap stuff. 

There wasn't any milk either. 

Huffing, Bartholomew settled for black tea. Not exactly his favourite drink, but it would do. 

Now to see about these lesson plans. 

Port's notes were… interesting to say the least. They were rather vague on exactly what he was supposed to be teaching, and Port had added lots of notes in the margin about stories he could tell to "inspire" students. Well, Bartholomew would skip those which meant… he really didn't have any full lesson's worth of content. 

An hour later and Bartholomew had to head off to class. Ozpin hadn't shown up. 

… 

Bartholomew ended up skipping lunch so as to have time to plan Port's lessons. They were supposed to be learning about Ursa defences, and Port had been planning to get someone to fight it at the end. That was okay. It was just the rest of the lesson. 

Port had few notes on Ursa defences. Of course, Bartholomew knew that Port could probably teach from his head, being such an experienced hunter. Theoretically, Bartholomew knew that he should be able to too. He knew about Ursa. He could just ramble on about them for half an hour. 

Only… he had no slides. He had no notes. Nothing to help him teach. No outline for how to talk about the lesson. 

Which was dumb. He taught plenty of his own lessons without so much as reading the textbook the night before. But that was different. History was easy. If he didn't teach the students the exact right information about the Ursa in a way that they could remember then someone could die. 

As a hunter, he should be okay with that. He was used to other people's lives depending on him. But this was different. He wasn't directly protecting them. Everything relied on his teaching skills. 

Was he even a good teacher? So many students slept through his classes, maybe he was really boring to listen to… what if no one listened to what he had to say and missed a vital bit of information and died. 

Bartholomew suddenly realised that he was hyperventilating. Okay. He stood up from his desk and walked over to the wall. He leant on it. This was out of control. Time to curl up in a ball. And not cry. Or maybe cry a little. Get it out of his system. This whole thing was stupid. He had a lesson to plan.

He slid down the wall and hid his face in his arms. He hated feeling like this. He really really hated it. 

… 

Luckily he had managed to calm down by the time the lesson started. He still hadn't had lunch though. 

Port's lesson was a double, so it lasted all afternoon. It went fairly well at first, at least Bartholomew hoped. 

Then came time for a student to have a match with a Grimm. 

They put the Grimm in an arena… And the Grimm immediately turned towards Bartholomew. Seriously? How was he the most negative in the room? Weren't students supposed to be stressed out and overworked? His bad week was catching up to him. 

Sighing Bartholomew decided to fight the Ursa himself, as a demonstration. That way people hopefully wouldn't notice the Grimm being most interested in him. 

He clambered down into the arena… and realised that he still didn't have his thermos. He hadn't had time to look for it today. 

Fiddlesticks. 

The Grimm roared and swung a large paw at him as Bartholomew dodged. Vaguely, he could hear the students cheering him on. 

The Grimm roared again starting to pound towards Bartholomew. He needed a weapon. And fast. 

Jumping out of the way of the oncoming Ursa, Bartholomew called out "someone lend me a weapon?" 

There was some laughter. They'd realised he didn't have his thermos. Well, this was embarrassing. 

Thankfully a few students were offering weapons over the side of the arena. Bartholomew opted to borrow Jaune's sword. It was the closest thing to his weapon. And a sword couldn't be that hard to use… could it? 

It was certainly different. Being a one-handed weapon, it was a lot lighter. Bartholomew had always used two-handed weapons, even way back when he was a teenager with a bat. 

Still. It was important that a huntsman learnt to improvise. 

Bartholomew skidded to a stop opposite the Ursa. They stared each other down for a second. Then Bartholomew leapt forward, ducking under the Ursa's arm and plunging Jaune's sword into its chest. 

It would have been the perfect move, demonstrating exactly what they had been studying. Only Bartholomew overestimated the force needed to plunge a sword into an Ursa, and stumbled. The Ursa roared and thrashed, claw catching on Bartholomew's back. It didn't hurt exactly, thank goodness for aura, but it did send Bartholomew tumbling over onto the floor. The Ursa disintegrated as the students cheered. 

Bartholomew handed Jaune back his sword, and dismissed the class, trying to cover up how much his blunder bothered him. 

What would happen if he ever lost his thermos out on the field? It would be a disaster! 

He was shaking again as he stormed out of the classroom. Adrenaline. Great. 

He should probably go and find his thermos now… only he didn't want anyone to see him like this. He was as jumpy as a deer. Anything would set him off. Instead, he went and sat on a balcony off the staff quarters. It was quiet. And the breeze would probably do him good even if he would honestly rather go and hide in his room. 

...

Ozpin was just sneaking into the staff room to steal some cookies that had been out at lunch when he tripped. Looking down, he saw Barty's Thermos. What was it doing in here?

He picked it up, planning on returning it to Barty. He should probably take some cookies too, as an apology for missing breakfast every day this week. Life was just so busy. 

Honestly, Ozpin felt quite awful. Barty was one of his best friends… but this week had been quite something. First the break-in at the CCT, then the school inspection with all the grumpy old men complaining about every little thing his staff did right, then those two students landing each other in hospital… and not to mention the paperwork. 

And the dance. They hadn't had a chance to talk about it. Just thinking about it filled Ozpin with a warm glow. He didn't know what it meant… well maybe he did and he was ignoring it. 

...

Ozpin eventually found Barty on one of the staff balconies, staring moodily off into the garden. 

Barty jumped as Ozpin sat down next to him. 

"Cookie?" Ozpin offered. "I found your thermos in the staff room by the way- I didn't know what it was doing there so I brought it to you, " 

Barty nodded gratefully. 

Ozpin nudged the cookie tray towards him. “They are cinnamon- your favourite,”

Slowly, Barty picked up a cookie and started to nibble it, avoiding Ozpin’s eyes. 

“Is everything alright?” Ozpin asked softly. 

Barty nodded, still not meeting his gaze. "Just a bad day- bad week really. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong… and I'm so tired…" 

Ozpin hummed sympathetically. “Do you want a hug?” 

Barty tensed up. He bit his lip, shook his head, and suddenly hid his face in his arms on the table. 

“Are you… crying?” Ozpin asked worriedly. 

Barty unconvincingly shook his head. 

"Barty..." Ozpin started. He moved his hand to Barty's arm but Barty flinched away. 

"Please don't-" Barty sniffled, trying to get control over himself, "don't- don't touch me- I shouldn't- you shouldn't be kind to me, " 

"I won't touch you, " Ozpin said, moving back. He already regretted trying to reach out for Barty's hand. He should know better than that. "But why… Barty everyone deserves kindness, " 

Barty shook his head, "that's not it- you don't understand. It's just that- every time you look at me- you smile- you give me a hug- I…" 

"You…?" Ozpin asked curiously. 

"I fall deeper in love with you!" Barty yelled, standing up. 

Ozpin gaped at him for a second, trying to understand the words. 

“I’m sorry,” Barty bit back a sob. Then he ran. At that speed, Ozpin barely saw him leave.

… 

Barty would be hiding under his bed. Ozpin knew this. He knew his friend. He knew where Barty retreated to when he felt really upset. 

Taking a deep breath to steel his nerves, Ozpin gently opened Barty's door. It was unlocked. Barty probably didn't even know where his keys were, to be honest. 

Ozpin walked through the living room slowly, making no effort to be quiet, but instead letting Barty know that he was there. 

Then Ozpin walked into Barty's bedroom and knelt down on the floor. "Oh Barty…" he whispered. 

Barty had his back to Oz, and was curled up, obviously sobbing. He did not react to Ozpin's presence at all. 

"You know, " Ozpin said softly, " loving someone isn't the end end of the world, " 

"But what if this- I don't want this to ruin our friendship!" Bartholomew whispered hoarsely. 

"Well, if you want, you could say it already has, " Ozpin said, "since instead of being my friend, you could be my partner, " 

Barty stilled slightly. "You mean-" he turned over. 

"I love you too, " Ozpin said, crawling under the bed to give Barty a hug. "And I'm honoured that you feel the same way, " 

"Even though I'm ace?" Barty asked after a few minutes, "You don't mind, " 

"I don't mind, " Ozpin replied. "I don't mind, " 

Barry turned over to sniffle onto his shirt.

"I'm sorry I ran away, everything has just gone so wrong this week, I didn't think for a second that maybe this… this would be the thing to go right, " Barty mumbled. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ozpin asked.

Barty shrugged. "It's just… everything is a bit much. That stupid inspector… if I- if I don't do it job properly students could die!" 

"There are so many factors in the field, " Ozpin murmured, "that you can never say it was truly your fault if a student didn't know a certain piece of information. Perhaps they didn't listen in class, perhaps there was a mistake and the mission was different from what they were told… or perhaps they were just unlucky. Although teaching is important their lives do not rest solely on your shoulders, " 

"In history that's fine, " Bartholomew said, "but I was covering one of Port's lessons on Grimm studies, which I'm not as well versed in, and I was teaching about Ursa and they are so common that if I taught it badly then it would surely mean that the students would be in more danger than necessary-" he started to cry again. 

"If the students didn't understand something I'm sure they can ask Port during the next lesson, " Ozpin comforted, "they have years to learn. One lesson that is good or bad won't make much of a difference. And for the record, and I'm sure you did your best, " 

Bartholomew nodded. 

They lay there in silence for a moment. 

"You're not gonna fire me?" Bartholomew eventually asked. 

"Because of those inspectors? Never. They also told me to fire Port for being too lenient in class and Glynda for favouring faunus students. Honestly, " Ozpin grumbled, "if they had their way they'd fire me for being too young to be a headmaster, " 

"I'm sorry- Glynda favouring students?" Bartholomew spluttered. 

"They watched her perform a test. Apparently miss Belladonna and miss Schnee got the same score when the inspector insisted that miss Schnee's performance was clearly superior, " Bartholomew could practically hear Ozpin rolling his eyes. 

"You think you can report the supervisor for racist behaviour?" Bartholomew asked. 

Ozpin shrugged. "I can try, " 

…


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ozpin thinks that Barty is dead.

Ozpin was pacing his office. Barty had taken team Rwby out on a simple border-control mission. It should be fine. They were probably fine. 

They had missed the check-in point. 

Which didn't necessarily mean much? They could have simply been slowed down by a few extra Grimm. 

That was probably it. Nothing to worry about. 

Suddenly, Ozpin's scroll beeped. He had a text from Qrow. 

They are all dead. Found their stuff. 

Ozpin dropped his scroll, stumbling backwards. Dead… they couldn't be dead. Team RWBY, his students. 

Barty. Barty was dead. 

Ozpin covered his mouth with his hand, as he cried out. Dead! Dead… they couldn't be dead! 

Shakily, he tried to call Qrow. 

There was no response. 

Not that Ozpin expected one. Qrow was probably off drinking himself into oblivion. Ozpin would have to send someone to find him. He would go himself but… 

Ozpin curled up as he started to sob. He had failed again. He had failed Summer, he had failed Tai, he had failed Qrow… and he had failed himself. 

Barty was dead. Barty, who he had just admitted his feelings for. Strong, passionate, Barty, who had been through so much and yet still walked through life with a smile on his face. 

Ozpin could barely comprehend what was going on. 

… 

Team RWBY were not in fact dead. Neither was Bartholomew. 

Ruby had lost her cape, Yang a chunk of hair and himself his hat. 

But they were alive. Alive and had missed the checkup point and their transport home. 

"We'll have to walk back to the wall, " Barty told his students, "we can get a lift from there,"

… 

They were finally on transport back to Beacon. It had taken hours to trek back to Vale, and then another two to actually find a transport willing to take them to Beacon. 

Now they were all sitting in the back of the airship, slightly exhausted. The girls were all looking at their scrolls, whilst Bartholomew looked out at the view going passed. 

"Shit!" Yang suddenly yelled. 

"Language!" Bartholomew replied immediately. 

Yang passed him her scroll. On the screen read: "Team RWBY and Professor Oobleck dead on mission, "

"Shit!" Bartholomew exclaimed. "How could this have happened?" he continued to scroll down. The news article detailed how they had missed the check-in point, and how all that was left of them was a torn cape, a lock of hair, and a hat. 

"We need to call uncle Qrow, " Yang said, taking the scroll back. 

Bartholomew nodded. "I have to call people too, " 

He turned around and dialled Ozpin on his scroll. Of course, it would probably make more sense to contact the police first, and tell them that they weren't dead… but Bartholomew had to call Ozpin. Who knew what he was going through right now?

… 

As it turned out, Ozpin was lying on his bed, the occasional tear trickling down his face. He was tired. So tired. It had been a while since he'd felt this much turmoil. Possibly not since Summer's death. 

Just then, his scroll rang. Ozpin rolled over and grabbed it, planning on turning it off, but then he saw the caller ID. Barty.

"B-Barty?" Ozpin whispered into the scroll. He barely dared hope- 

"Oz! It's okay, I'm alive, we're all alive! There's been some sort of misunderstanding, " Barty's familiar voice crackled through the scroll. Ozpin tuned out to what he was saying for a moment. Barty was alive! Alive! And so were the rest of team RWBY! This was… this was… 

Ozpin covered his mouth as he suddenly started to sob. They were alive. He hadn't killed his friends. 

"Oh Oz…" Barty whispered through the scroll. "It's going to be alright. We'll be back at Beacon in ten minutes, meet you in the courtyard?" 

Ozpin couldn't reply for trying to suppress his sobs. 

"It's all okay now, " Barty said again, "I'm going to hang up now because I need to make a few other calls, but I'll see you soon okay?" 

The scroll went dead. 

Ozpin sat there for a few minutes, trying to process the miracle. This must be a dream. 

There was a knock on his door, and Glynd came in. 

"They're alive!" She breathed. That made it all the more real, seeing Glynda, as emotionally repressed as she usually was, actually smiling. "They'll be in the courtyard soon- I suppose you'll want to meet them? Although I suggest you go and wash your face first unless you want the whole school to know you've been crying, " 

Ozpin nodded, shakily getting up. Barty was alive! He was alive! He was alive… 

… 

Ozpin didn't know what to expect when he saw team RWBY and Barty step off the airship. Would they be hurt? 

They were fine. Ozpin quickly nodded at team RWBY to assure himself they were alive and well. That his students weren't dead. That he didn't need to carry the weight of their deaths on his conscience. Then he turned to Barty. 

Ozpin took a sharp intake of breath. Barty was fine. Not a scratch. He looked a little tired maybe and had lost his hat. But he was fine. And he was alive! 

Ozpin felt his eyes prick, and before he knew what he was doing, he ran towards Barty and pulled him into a hug. He felt Barty gently hug him back, running a hand through his hair. 

Was Ozpin making a scene? He didn't care. Barty was alive. He was alive! 

A few tears rolled down Ozpin's cheeks as he hid his face on Barty's shoulder. 

"It's okay, " Barty breathed into his ear, "I'm okay. I'm safe, " 

Ozpin nodded, trying to get ahold of himself. He needed to calm down. Appear strong in front of his students. No doubt they were gawking. 

… 

Bartholomew gently held Ozpin. They were lying on Bartholomew's bed, in the quiet safety of his room. 

"I thought I'd lost you, " Ozpin sniffled. He had been crying for a good half hour, but now he was starting to calm down. 

"I know, " Bartholomew murmured, gently rubbing circles on Ozpin's back. 

"I- I love you so much, " Ozpin added a few minutes later. "I couldn't bear it if I'd sent you on a mission and you had died, " 

"But I didn't, " Bartholomew replied, "and Oz, I chose to be a huntsman. I accepted the responsibility of holding my own life in my hands when I chose this path. If I had died… it would not have been your fault, " 

"Right, " Ozpin mumbled. 

"I mean it, " Bartholomew sighed, "you don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders Oz. Not everything is your fault, " 

"But anything… anything I didn't change… that I could have changed if I had only known…" 

"Is still not your fault, " Bartholomew reinforced. "I know how easy it is to blame yourself for everything… but sometimes you have to be kind to yourself. Would you have blamed someone else in your position?"

Ozpin shook his head.

"Then you don't need to blame yourself. And in any case, we didn't die. Nothing bad actually happened, "


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ozpin deals with homophobia.

It just so happened that there was a gossip blog about Beacon school. No one really knew who ran it, but rumour had it that it changed hands from year to year. 

In any case, it was very popular among the first year's students. 

The currently trending page was titled: "Headmaster and history teacher: a secret romance?" With a picture of Oobleck and Ozpin hugging underneath. There were dozens of comments, most of them positive, adding more "evidence" to the article. 

More articles popped up after that, and by the end of the month, it seemed like everyone was shipping them. 

… 

Ozpin and Barty had decided that they weren't going to explicitly tell anyone they were together. Of course, they wouldn't hide it, but there was no point in making some big announcement. They could just let their friends know bit by bit. 

It was small things at first. They'd sit next to each other at lunch. Eat dinner together. Hold hands in the garden if they were basically alone. Surely some of their friends had worked it out by now? 

"I've been invited to the annual history convention, " Barty practically ran into Ozpin's office, "as a speaker!" 

Ozpin looked up from his work. Bartholomew was holding out a letter, beaming. 

"I didn't even apply this year after never having gotten in before- but apparently they've heard of me and invited me all on their own! I'm going to get to give a lecture, Oz! At the history convention! With some of the greatest minds of the century listening! This is so amazing I can't begin to express how excited-" 

Ozpin chuckled, getting up from his desk to give Barty a kiss on the cheek. "I'm proud of you, " he said, smiling. "What day is it?" 

Barry looked at the letter again. He seemed to deflate. "It's on the 21st- the day of the large huntsman meeting, " 

"Hmm, " Ozpin read the letter over Bartholomew's shoulder. That was unfortunate. They couldn't reschedule the meeting, and Barty really ought to be there… "What if you left early?" Ozpin suggested. "The convention starts at three, and the meeting should be done by four- and the last hour will probably just be everyone catching up on family news anyway, " 

"You wouldn't mind?" Barty asked. 

Ozpin smiled at him. "I wouldn't mind. Go have fun!" 

Barty practically skipped out of the room. "I can't wait- I really need to start to write my lecture- I wonder what it should be about- something impressive really. It's going to be hard to teach anything new to people who probably know even more history than me. I need to go to the library! see you later!" 

Ozpin grinned as Barty fled the room. Seeing Barty so happy… it made him happy. It was a nice feeling. 

… 

The day of the meeting came pretty quickly. Bartholomew knew that he really should be listening to all the Grimm reports and news from other kingdoms… but he was just so excited about the history convention that he couldn't help it. 

He kept checking his watch all morning, waiting for it to be finally time for him to leave. 

Bartholomew sat with Ozpin, Port, Glynda and Qrow at lunch, barely listening to their conversation about current politics. Well, Port and Glynda were conversing, with Ozpin occasionally giving his opinion, but Qrow looked thoroughly bored. 

Finally, finally, the time came. Bartholomew didn't even bother eating desert. He just gave Oz a quick peck on the lips and left. 

In his excitement, he didn't even notice how quiet the room had suddenly gone. 

… 

After Barty had left the meeting there was silence for a moment. 

"What, am I not allowed to kiss my partner goodbye?" Ozpin asked, folding his arms.

"No I just didn't take you for a faggot, " Crimson, a young huntsman with bright red hair muttered.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "As much as I appreciate the compliment-" 

Qrow punched the guy on the nose. 

The guy tried to punch Qrow back, but luckily Port and Glynda quickly intervened, pulling the two huntsmen apart. 

"How dare you-" Qrow spat at the guy, "How dare you so something so rude- so disrespectful-"

"How dare I? I'm only telling the truth-" 

Port clocked the huntsman on the head, knocking him out. 

Ozpin sighed. Trust Qrow to start a fight. Now he was going to have a tone paperwork. And probably a court hearing if the guy decided to press charges. Fantastic. 

… 

"Qrow I'm not a damsel in distress- I don't need you to always come and save me, " Ozpin tried to explain. "I was handling the situation fine, " 

"Yeah but you wouldn't have decked him and the dude needed to be taught a lesson, " Qrow grumbled. 

"Well I'm sure he's going to be extremely open to listening to the opinion of the person who punched him, " Ozpin replied sarcastically. "Really Qrow, don't you ever learn? Fighting just stirs up more trouble, " 

"It's freakin worth it, " Qrpw mumbled, "now if you'll excuse me I gotta go drink," 

"Qrow-" Ozpin started, but it was too late. Qrow had turned into a bird and flown away. 

… 

Ozpin was walking back to his office alone when Crimson rounded the corner. 

"You, " Crimson snarled, "you think it's funny to have one of your boyfriends break my nose?" 

Ozpin sighed. "Qrow is not my boyfriend. Barty is. And I know you won't believe me, but I wish Qrow hadn't harmed you, " 

"Ptha" Crimson spat on the floor. "I saw you laughing- let's see how you like it-" he ran towards Ozpin. 

Ozpin dodged easily. 

Crimson tried to hit again, only for Ozpin to sidestep. 

"Is it just me, or is the standard of huntsman graduating getting lower and lower?" Ozpin asked, dodging a few more times. "In my day we at least new basic hand to hand, " 

"Like you're any better, " Crimson snarled, "you don't know anything old man, "

Ozpin dodged another punch and wacked Crimson's leg with his cane. "I know that your stance is wrong." Ozpin then used his cane to wack Crimson's arms lower. "And you aren't protecting your mid-section, " 

Crimson lashed a foot out to kick Ozpin, but Ozpin caught it. 

"You also didn't gain enough momentum for that sort of kick, " Ozpin gently pushed him backwards so that the dude fell on the floor. "Now, do I need to call for backup or will you leave me alone? I'm sure that I could press charges you know- you'd lose your license for attacking an innocent person," 

Crimson muttered something obscene as he scampered away. 

Ozpin shook his head, sighing. Idiot. Responding to violence with violence. Qrow really had started something here. 

… 

Back in his office, Ozpin thought that he might have a break from it all. 

And he did, for a few hours. He entertained himself with paperwork about safeguarding and financing, until late into the afternoon. 

Then he decided to take a break. 

Leaning back in his chair, he opened his scroll to check the news. And gaped. 

**Homosexual headmaster is a unsuitable leader for Beacon, says general Ironwood.**

What the hell. 

Ozpin angrily scrolled down the article. This was just mean. That Crimson dude must have talked to the press, and they had talked to Ironwood. 

Ozpin felt his eyes prick as he read some of it.

**Stupid old fool.**

**Too passive. Let's things happen.**

**Aloof. Annoying.**

It was stupid. Stupid media. Stupid comments. Ironwood probably didn't say any of those things. The media must be paraphrasing. 

Ozpin rubbed his eyes. 

Idly his scrolled down to the comments, before switching off his scroll. He was perfectly aware of how nasty people on the internet could be. He didn't need to make himself more upset by reading nasty comments and threats. 

… 

Ozpin was cross with himself. He shouldn't let it get to him. 

It was easier to deal with idiots like Crimson, who were obviously homophobic and not to be taken seriously… but when it was so many people online. 

It was stupid, but against his better judgement, Ozpin had turned his scroll back on to look at the comments. 

And now he was crying himself to sleep. Brilliant. 

Many of the comments didn't even mention his sexuality. A lot of people were just jumping on the hate train, saying that he was a terrible headmaster for x reason and should be fired. Some of them were directed at him, either threatening his safety, that Ozpin knew not to take seriously, or suggesting he do… stupid things. 

He'd even received emails from parents, demanding that he step down. One of them said they'd kill him if he'd infected their son with his gayness. Like that was even possible. Idiots. 

Even knowing that he shouldn't listen, that it was all lies, it still hurt. It hurt knowing that people believed that stuff about him. 

Ozpin tried calling Qrow, but when Qrow answered he was so drunk that Ozpin quickly hung up.

Ozpin considered calling Barty. He wanted Barty. He wanted a hug right now. Someone to listen. But he also really didn't want to drag Barty into this. Barty might blame himself, and what if the media then turned on him? Ozpin wouldn't be able to stand it. 

So Ozpin cried himself to sleep. Alone. 

...

The convention went well, and Bartholomew was practically buzzing when he returned. 

Ozpin wasn't at the station to meet him, which was odd, given that they had arranged to go out for lunch. 

Bartholomew did try to call Ozpin, but there was no answer. After an hour or so, Bartholomew gave up waiting and decided to catch a taxi back to Beacon. Maybe Ozpin had forgotten? Or maybe he was in a last minute meeting and couldn't answer his scroll. 

Once back at Beacon, Bartholomew quickly put his stuff in his room, before going up to Ozpin's office. It was empty. 

Bartholomew then went to the cafeteria, then the teacher's lounge, then the teacher's kitchen, and finally the gardens. Ozpin wasn't anywhere to be found. 

Bartholomew told himself not to worry; Ozpin was an adult he could look after himself. The last place he'd check was Ozpin's room though. 

The door was locked but granted Bartholomew access with a simple swipe of his scroll. 

Inside Ozpin was… asleep on the bed. Bartholomew smiled softly and went to sit next to him. He ran a hand through Ozpin's hair, and paused… although asleep, Ozpin looked sad. There were clear tear tracks down his face. 

Bartholomew kicked his shoes off and lay on the bed so that he could pull Ozpin into a proper hug. 

"Barty?" Ozpin murmured, starting to stir. 

"Right here, " Bartholomew replied. 

Ozpin nodded and shifted so that he was hugging Bartholomew back. 

"Honey, what's wrong?" Bartholomew murmured. 

"Hmm? Nothing, " Ozpin replied. 

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it, " Bartholomew ventured, "but I can tell you've been crying. Also, it's the middle of the day, and you're sleeping, which suggests you didn't sleep much last night?" 

Ozpin shook his head. "It's okay, just people being jerks. I overreacted…" 

"Someone hurt you?" Bartholomew asked aghast. 

"Qrow got to them first to be fair, " Ozpin replied, "I think he broke their nose, " 

"I'm sorry people felt the need to be cruel, " Bartholomew said sadly. 

"Also…" Ozpin rolled over and grabbed his scroll from the sideboard. He navigated to a news website and passed it to Bartholomew. 

Bartholomew sat up to read it. Two seconds later he whispered: "What. The. Actual. Fuck." 

Ozpin winced at the swear word. 

"Apparently some reporter heard Ironwood say that I wasn't a suitable candidate for headmaster, " Ozpin muttered, "and then someone leaked our relationship to the press. They put two and two together- and came up with a full article on why I should be fired, " 

Bartholomew swallowed down another swear word and tossed the scroll back onto the side. "For the record, we both know that Ironwood isn't homophobic and the press are making sh- stuff up,"

Ozpin nodded. "Do you think he really said I should be fired?"

"Never, " Bartholomew replied. "He's your friend. I'm sure the press have just got the wrong end of the stick, " 

"I- thank you, " Ozpin mumbled. "I feel a bit better now, " 

… 

The next day, the news website went down. It seemed a small, actually rather large, group of students had taken to spamming the site with comments about how great their headmaster was.


End file.
